Wages dramas at movies

Minimum wage rises, not the pressure of Netflix, are behind pay disputes at the country’s cinemas, a business commentator says. Unite Union was on Saturday giving out free popcorn outside Hoyts Cinemas around the country to support workers. They had been told if they went on strike for any period of time, they would be locked out until the end of July, the union said. It said workers were told they had to accept a pay offer that would put nearly all of them on the minimum wage. Rod McNaughton of the University of Auckland Business School said it was unlikely the cinemas’ wage disputes were caused by pressure from video streaming services such as Netflix. ‘‘The primary issue is the 75c increase in minimum wage introduced at the end of last year. Hoyts said it had been negotiating in good faith for the past three months.